Researching Climate Change

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Researching Climate Change

• In vino veritas? Researching International
  Environmental Law with a Clear Head in the Hazy
  Era of Climate Change
• Marylin Johnson Raisch
• International and Foreign Law Librarian
• Bora Laskin Law Library, University of Toronto
• CALL Annual Meeting, Niagara-on-the-Lake, May 26,
  2003

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Building a Knowledge Base

• How would an information specialist approach
  creating a resource on the web which would
  integrate on- and off-line materials, legal
  research, scientific data gathering and analysis
  (reports), and policy information?

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Approaches to Complex Research

• Narrative, contextual approach
• Annotated links approach
• The former provides a richer experience for
  learning the latter will eventually become a set
  of bookmarks, some of which may rarely be used.

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Narrative Approach

• Tell the story of climate change the issues, the
  treaties, the efforts at compliance, new or
  amended treaties
• The story will unfold chronologically but in
  different locationsUN conferences, EU meetings,
  the US political scene, Canadian Parliament and
  ministries
• Highlight the major documents which emerge from
  the process in each venue

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Framework Convention on Climate Change 1992

• The story
• UN FCCC adopted 9 May 1992, New York
• Berlin Mandate, Decision 1/CP.1 The Berlin
  Mandate Review of the adequacy of Article 4,
  paragraph 2(a) and (b), of the Convention,
  including proposals related to a protocol and
  decisions on follow-upFCCC/CP/1995/7 earliest
  doc at site (COP 1)
• Geneva Ministerial Declaration FCCC/CP/1996/15/Add
  .1(not adopted)

• The documents
• Text pamphlet pdf at http//unfcc.int may be
  Googled with strong title words,
  http//unfccc.int/resource/docs/convkp/conveng.pdf
  and A/CONF.151/26/REV.1(VOL.I) (Rio Earth Summit)
  , 13 I.L.M. 851 (1992) Official documents search
  page- keywords Berlin, Geneva limit to COPs
  earliest two years should be selected

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Kyoto Protocol to UNFCCC 1997

• The story
• The Kyoto Protocol to the UNFCCC
• Buenos Aires Plan of Action, 1/CP.4 1998
• Bonn implementation of above, COP 6 Part II, 25
  September 2001
• Marrakesh Accords, 21 January 2002
• Canada ratifies 17 December 2002

• The documents
• Treaty text http//unfccc.int/resource/docs/convkp
  /kpeng.pdf at site or via Google, strong words
  citation for actual UN doc., FCCC/CP/1997/7/Add.1
• Buenos Aires Plan of Action at FCCC official doc
  site UN Doc. FCCC/CP/1998/16/Add.1
• Bonn, FCCC/CP/2001/5
• Marrakesh Accords, U.N. Doc. FCCC/CP/2001/13
  (report) and Add.1-3

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UNFCCC and Kyoto Travaux and Commentary

• Travaux including Kyoto, www.unfccc.int/resourc
  e/process/guideprocess-p.pdf
• Commentary, including Kyoto, www.unfccc.int/resour
  ce/guideconvkp-p.pdf
• Oberthür, Sebastian and Hermann E. Ott, The Kyoto
  Protocol International Climate Policy for the
  21st Century. Berlin Springer, 1999. Chronology
  of the climate change regime, citations to
  travaux préparatoires, and article-based
  commentary.
• Climate Change for dummies (Beginners guide at
  the FCCC site) http//unfccc.int/resource/beginne
  r.html
• Do not forget to look at UNFCCC text. Example
  Dispute settlement Art. 19 Kyoto incorporates
  FCCC Art. 14 in many respects and Art. 33 of UN
  Charter (peaceful negotiations ? ICJ or
  arbitration

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Compliance System and Kyoto Mechanisms

• Compliance Committee See http//unfccc.int/issues
  /comp.html
• Facilitative branch
• Enforcement branch
• Emissions reduction and trading 1) joint
  implementation, art. 6 2) clean development
  mechanism (CDM), art. 12 and 3) emissions
  trading, art. 17. See http//unfccc.int/issues/mec
  hanisms.html
• Industrialized or Annex I countries
  http//unfccc.int/resource/kpstats.pdf -marked
  by
• Developing countries

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European Union and its European Community

• Created first bubble with collective
  fulfillment of commitments under art. 3, para.1
  and art. 4
• Activities and legal texts across the
  institutions (Council, Parliament, etc.),
  http//europa.eu.int/pol/env/index_en.htm
• European Commission green portal
  http//europa.eu.int/comm/environment/index_en.htm
  with Climate Change home page,
  http//europa.eu.int/comm/environment/climat/home_
  en.htm and European Climate Change Programme
  (ECCP), http//europa.eu.int/comm/environment/clim
  at/eccp.htm

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United States

• Pace Law School Global Warming Central,
  http//www.law.pace.edu/globalwarming/US.html
  helps cut to the chase in a complex policy
  arena, myriad Congressional and executive
  documents, US federal and state developments
• Climate Change Activities in the United States,
  June, 2002 http//www.pewclimate.org/projects/us_a
  ctivities.pdf
• Pew Center on Global Climate Change

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Canada

• Climate Change Plan for Canada, Nov. 21, 2002,
  Environment Canada http//www.climatechange.gc.ca/
  plan_for_canada/plan/index.html (English version)
• Government of Canada Climate Change Web Site,
  http//www.climatechange.gc.ca/plan_for_canada/pla
  n/index.html

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NGOs, Databases Advocacy, Policy, and Science

• NGOs list of admitted organizations under FCCC
  art. 7, http//unfccc.int/resource/ngo/index.html
• National Communications, http//unfccc.int/resourc
  e/natcom/nctable.html
• Science
• GHG inventory database, http//ghg.unfccc.int/
• Atlas of Population Environment, American
  Association for the Advancement of Science,
  http//atlas.aaas.org/index.php
• Focus on Climate Change, Global Sustainable
  Development and International Law at Bora Laskin
  Law Library, University of Toronto,
  http//www.law-lib.utoronto.ca/resguide/global/ind
  ex.htm

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Cant stand the heat (from global warming)? Get
out of the kitchen, but dont forget

• Bubbles-group of countries with joint emission
  reduction plan
• Baskets-single obligation to reduce all GHGs
• COP/MOP- Conference of the Parties sits as
  Meeting of Parties
• PAMs-policies and measures, art. 2
• COW-Committee of the Whole
• Alphabet soup SBI, SBSTA-Subsidiary Body for
  Implementation, for Scientific and Technological
  Advice

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